[19 February 2026] ICASA has published information about the renewal of individual electronic communications network service (IECNS) and individual electronic communications services (IECS) licences.

ICASA Notice on Renewal of IECNS and IECS Licences

According to the notice:

  • Renewal applications must be lodged no earlier than twelve (12) months and no later than six (6) months prior to the expiry of the licence, in accordance with the Processes and Procedures Regulations for Individual Licences, 2010, as amended.
  • Licensees must refer to the effective date stated on their licence to determine the renewal period. For example, a licence issued on 15 January 2009 expires on 14 January 2029, and the renewal application must be submitted between 15 January 2028 and 14 July 2028.
  • The earliest expiring licences fall on 21 October 2028.

The notice includes an annexure listing the holders of IECNS and/or IECS licences identified for renewal.

More detailed information will be provided at a later stage.

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[16 November 2018] ICASA has issued a reminder to holders of CECS and CECNS licences to notify the Authority of their intention to continue to provide licensed services. The Notice can be found below, and further details regarding this process can be seen at the following link.

Renewal of CECS & CECNS Licences

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All electronic communications service (ECS) and electronic communications network service (ECNS) licences issued by ICASA have a period of validity from the date of issue of the licence, being ten years for Class licences and twenty years for Individual Licences, respectively.

The requirement to renew certain CECS and CECNS licences is now an obligation faced by many licensees, as the first of these licences was issued in 2008. Individual licensees will only need to consider renewal processes in 2028.

Licensees holding CECS & CECNS licences are required to notify ICASA of their intention to renew these licences not less than 6 months prior to the expiry date of the licence. For example, a CECS licence issued 1 December 2009 will have an expiration date of 1 December 2019 and the Authority will need to be notified of the renewal between 1 December 2018 and 1 June 2019.

The appropriate form for this process, being a Form F (Notice to Renew a Class Licence) can be found at the following link, and the relevant fees can be found at the following link.

It is of particular importance that licensees holding a national CECS licence (i.e., issued before May 2014) ensure that they attend to this renewal timeously, as these licences cannot be re-registered once they have expired, and it is no longer possible to apply for these national CECS licences from ICASA. Due to this, it should be noted that there is a market for these licences which do have some economic value; these licences can be sold and transferred to a new party.

Ellipsis can assist with the renewal process and related matters. For further information or queries please contact Sumaiyah Makda at sam@ellipsis.co.za.